A huge thank you to Cass Adams and all of the parents who helped make May Faire a great success!  We raised: $2289  Thanks also for buying and selling the May Faire Raffle tickets and a big thank you to our sponsors for the great donations! We raised: $1412. Vacation Raffle: Congratulations to Dorie Hagler and Michael Shorr on winning the trip to Hawaii, Tom Evans for winning the trip to Mexico and Stephanie Decker for winning the stay at the Edelweiss! Thanks to everyone for buying and selling the Vacation Raffle Tickets! We raised: $4,200! These funds will go towards the tuition assistance/scholarship fund. And please remember to pick up all of the pots/pans that you brought delicious food in for the May Faire – they are in the kitchen. Lost and Found is getting huge. Please come find your treasures – we will be making a donation to CAV on the 21st of May. Pick up your 2009/2010 yearbook.  They are so incredible – don’t miss out! They are $33 and available in the office.  Our 5th grade is off to Boulder, Colorado this week to participate in the Pentathlon. They will be participating with 5 other Waldorf Schools in these amazing Greek Games.  Summer Camp sign up deadline is this Saturday. Thank you First Grade for the wonderful performances at May Faire.

TCDS 8th grade graduation: Class of 2010.  In growing we have shared. In learning we have found friendship. Please join Taos Country Day School in honoring  the Eighth Grade Graduating Class of 2010 on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 (6:30—9:00pm) at the San Geronimo Lodge, Witt Road, Taos, New Mexico. Presentation of Eighth Grade Projects immediately following graduation ceremony.  Refreshments will be served.

“There are basically three means of motivating children: Fear, ambition and love. In Waldorf Education we try to work without the first two.” – Rudolf Steiner (Founder of Waldorf Education)

Everybody please come to our May Faire – and don’t forget to sign up for tasks tomorrow on the sign up sheets at each classroom.

It is not too late to buy your Vacation Raffle ticket. Or sell one to your friend. There will be no better Vacation Raffle than this one during the months of May. Drawing of the lucky winners will be at the May Faire on May 08, 2010. Need not be present to win.

Thank you all who came out to the school last Saturday to make our 10 – 4 work day a memorable success. Trees were planted, mulch was spread, junk was dumped, a window replaced, a roof finished, the piles of tree branches left after the pruning disappeared, the May Faire grounds were cleared, latillas were replaced and the sun was smiling down on all the happy workers big and small.

6th Grade performance of “Robin Hood”

Next – our May Faire is coming up and you need to help! Please sign up for tasks on the sign up sheets at your child’s classroom.

Signs of Spring. Thank you Paymaneh Ghaffari for making the beautiful signs for all the classrooms – now we know where to go! And thank you Jim Stoner for making the beautiful new gate – now the horses know where not to go.

Welcome and goodbye. We welcome Sarah Beasley who has accepted her nomination to the Taos Country Day School board of directors. Sarah will represent the grade class teachers. We say goodbye and thank you to Tracy Jaramillo who resigned from the board of directors. Tracy brought her expertise in non-profit and school administration and grant research, and helped us restructure and clarify the tuition assistance and scholarship program. She will continue to serve on the tuition assistance committee.

Dear All: As the school year draws to a close, we wanted to share our thoughts and the good news about the year past and the year ahead. Our 15th year of operation has been one of transition and growth. We started the year with a budget reflecting a lower projected enrollment, but a couple of months into the school year, we were able to adjust for a higher than hoped for enrollment of 130 students. As a result the teachers did not need to take a pay-cut or decrease in wages and our students have been able to enjoy strong specialty classes, including music, games/movement, handwork, and Spanish in all grades, and German during the fall semester for the lower grades Now we are finalizing plans for the upcoming school year 2010/2011. The board of directors has approved an operating budget that includes different provisions depending on enrollment and revenue projections. With our Night of Golden Opportunities Gala we reached our fundraising goal for this year. Thank you to our involved and supportive community! The proceeds, of over $16,000, will be going to our Tuition Assistance Fund. Tuition Assistance is an integral part of our school community and reflects our commitment to maintaining a diverse student population. We recognize that each family has many options for schooling in our town. We want to reiterate that tuition assistance is available and if our school is the right place for your child, do not let economic factors determine whether or not you will continue here. New application forms are available online at www.taoscountrydayschool.com or in the office. Please note that the deadline for submitting tuition assistance forms is approaching (Monday May 03, 2010).

The board decided to create a new process for what was known in the past as “tuition trades”. Parents/guardians wishing to offer goods or services as trades to the school need to go through a separate approval process. Trades may be suggested to the school by making a trade proposal in writing to the attention of the school administrator. The school will also solicit trades by making announcements of needed items or services. Successful applicants will receive a “credit” towards their tuition on completion of their project or on a monthly basis. We are all aware that change is a constant and this includes, for some of our students, new teachers. We embrace this opportunity in a positive light and say thank you to our friends who are moving onto new adventures and wish them well. We are confident that the school and all that it offers will attract the highest caliber of candidates and look forward to updating you soon. So what is it that makes Taos Country Day school special? At a recent parent lecture that we hosted with Dr. Amy Franklin, we addressed this question. The faculty met prior to this meeting to brainstorm and brought their ideas to the parents. These ideas were further expanded and the picture that emerged is very powerful. Taos Country Day School is a strong community. It provides a safe school environment that is set in an inspiring location. The school environment is child-centered and nurturing of creative and critical thought. The Waldorf-inspired curriculum is the holistic approach to education that incorporates high academic standards and spirituality. This spirituality includes a reverence for the individual child, the rhythms of the surrounding world, and a deeper appreciation of the subjects being taught. A sense of connection exists for the students with interaction between all grades. Our academics are incorporated into many varied forms of learning, often your child may not even recognize that they just learned a very difficult concept, it was just too much fun! In Kindergarten the Waldorf approach is to teach the children to “read” the natural world. In the 1st grade, the child is taught to start to read the symbolic “outside” world including letters, words and numbers.

Photo: The new gate

We have used Bonnie Rivers Standards and Benchmarks for the past three years. These are standardized assessments for each grade within a Waldorf Curriculum. In addition, we are working with Karl Johnson from the Santa Fe Waldorf School to fine-tune our own assessment program. This year, we have been working with some benchmark assessments for reading that are used nationwide, including Taos County Public Schools. These assessments are tools for the teachers to use to gauge whether a student needs extra help. Our teachers are always evaluating and assessing how well their students are understanding concepts, our assessment protocol will put a more structured framework around this. We are looking to the future with excitement and enthusiasm! There are many programs that TCDS is planning on expanding and growing including our Gardening Program. We will be putting in two green houses this summer and hiring a part-time Gardening Teacher who will be working with all of the classes as part of the curriculum. Students will be learning about biodynamic farming and working in the field. This is an opportunity that many never experience in a lifetime. Our Gardening Program reflects our commitment to a sustainable future for our children and our school. The TCDS faculty, parents and students had the good fortune to be able (thanks to a grant by the Clinger Family Foundation) to work with Dr. Amy Franklin and Emotional Intelligence this year. We are committed to continuing to bring this support and learning tool to our community. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) helps create learning environments where young people develop crucial skills for academic and lifelong success. As you can see, Taos Country Day School is thriving and preparing your child for the future. We thank you for valuing our school community and for your ongoing support. – (Conrad Rehbach – Administrator, Emily Cohen – Enrollment Coordinator, Annette Stoner – Marketing)

Job Openings. Taos Country Day School has several job openings for the school year 2010/2011. Please check out the job openings at the school’s website.

Mayfair Raffle Tickets went home with students!  Each family is asked to sell 30 tickets.  There are several wonderful gift certificates that are not on the ticket including: Gift Certificates to Hiro Hobo, Twirl and Zeke’s Auto. Bake Sale and May Fair Raffle Ticket Sale at Cid’s on Tuesday, May 4th 3-5pm.  Please come with your child and a baked good!  If you need more tickets they will be available in the office.  All ticket stubs and money should be turned into the office by May 7th. Thanks, Emily

Dear Friends and Families, The Taos Country Day School Sixth Grade is presenting the play “Robin Hood”. We hope you can join us for this madcap adventure. We will be giving three performances: Our first performance will be open to the public on Sunday, May 2nd 2010. Class 6 students are asked to be at the Quail by 4:45. We will dress into costumes at the Quail. Remember to bring violins and cellos for tuning at this time. Curtain call and start of performance: 5:30. After performance, class 6 will have a private cast party at the Quail until 6:30. Pizza will be served. Place: Taos Tennis Conference Room at the Quail Ridge. Our second and third performance will be given in house on Monday, May 3rd 2010: Time: 9:00 AM for grades eight, five, and four.  1:00 AM for the kindergarten, first, second, and 3rd grade classes. Place: Taos Country Day School grade 6 classroom. Blessings, Ms. Sandra

Calendar

Tuesday April 27: TCDS Board/CLC/College Visioning Meeting (3:30 – 7:00 PM in 04)
Saturday May 01, 2010: Work Day (10 – 4)
Monday May 03, 2010: Deadline for tuition assistance applications
Saturday May 08, 2010: May Faire (12- 4)
May 15, 2010: TCDS Summercamp sign up deadline

TCDS Gala Dinner guests discussing the pros and cons of Waldorf education

Thank you all who contributed to the March 31 Gala Dinner Event with Live and Silent Auction at the Taos Trading Post Cafe, making this a truly memorable and successful event for the Taos Country Day School. Special thanks go to our volunteers Molly Massen, Rebecca Jusbasche and Paymaneh Ghaffari for their excellent preparation and organizing of the event, to Annette Stoner for expert auctioneer services, Max Gomez for live music, Jean-Marie Jackson and Megan Keller for silent auction check out and attention to details, to staff members Emily Cohen and Deborah Rogers for working way past the call of duty and the many others who helped. We managed to raise over $15000 for the school’s scholarship/tuition assistance program.

“A HUGE congratulations on putting together what seemed to be a tremendously successful and fun event!  I had a genuinely fun time myself!  And we picked up some terrific artwork for our home.  There were a good number of items–there seemed to be a thoughtful balance of goods and services without diluting the offerings.  The place looked beautiful and the gift bags were lovely.  I was very pleasantly surprised at the attendance, and especially how many members of the community at large were there.  In past events it has seemed that bridge has not been made–now it has.  I know the committee has worked very long and hard to procure donations, sell tickets, and market the event.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  As a board member and parent, I am so deeply grateful for your hard work.  Kudos!” – Erin Doherty

“Just wanted to say congratulations to you all on pulling off such a fantastic event last night. I thought the tables and gift bags looked lovely, as did the live models; the auction items were impressive, and I’m sure took a lot of hard work and gentle(?) persuasion to gather together (the online preview was inspired too); and the turn-out was great, with some generous spenders from what I could tell. … Well done again. I thought you all did a wonderful job on this inaugural event.  Best wishes … “ – Nikki Ross

“Thanks all for putting on such a wonderful event.  It was great to spend the evening with friends and supporters of the school, and to feel the energy and commitment of a strong group of people.  The work involved is impressive and the evening was a resounding success in many ways.  Cheers.” -  Perihan Sheard